By default the desktop is just your wallpaper. To enable icons, you need to tell the file manager to handle the desktop.

The easiest way to do that is to install gnome-tweak-tool (run "sudo yum install gnome-tweak-tool" in a terminal). It'll call itself "Advanced Settings" in the applications list. Run it, and go to the "Desktop" tab, and enable the "Have file manager handle the desktop" check-box. (See the attached screen-shot.)

Then you can create "short-cuts" (symbolic links, or symlinks for short, in Linux terminology) by middle-dragging a document onto the desktop and clicking "Link here" in the pop-up menu.

Since you say you are new to GNOME 3, you might want to take a look at this GNOME Shell Cheat Sheet. This will help you navigate through your system better. This does not answer your particular post but more of a general overview ...